Aces High Bulletin Board
General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: AKKuya on June 24, 2009, 12:59:10 AM
-
I'd like to start a thread on what are the best science fiction stories out there that have not been translated into films. Each entry should have Title, Author, Year Published, and short synopsis without the ending revealed. Why it was a good novel?
Title - Across a Billion Years
Author - Robert Silverberg
Year Published - 1969
Short Synopsis - Across A Billion Years is a 1969 Science Fiction novel by Robert Silverberg set in the year 2375, Tom Rice a young archaeologist attached to a two-year dig on the planet of Highby V. It is a search for artefacts belonging to a long-lost and ancient race known simply as The High Ones. Throughout known space, details of this billion-year old civilisation have been uncovered on many planets. What seems like a fairly straightforward expedition becomes a galactic odyssey when an artefact never seen before is uncovered. This device hints that perhaps the High Ones are not extinct at all. But, if they are not, then where are they? And will this lead to the culmination of Mankind’s greatest challenge or greatest disaster? (courtesy of Wikipedia)
When I read this as a kid, the story appealed to me as a hard science story. No flashy space battles just a thought provoking novel making the reader ask where are we, where are we going and why do we go in relation to the fictional species. The human race is around 2 to 4 million years old roughly and this story is about a race that lived for a billion of our years. It makes the reader imagine what our race will be like in a billion years.
Who's next?
-
Random pick: The Diamond Age.
It'd be cool if someone did Engine Summer. That book is unreadable.
-
I always found Isaac Asimovs foundation and Robots series fascinating. Can you imagine my dissapointment at the movie I Robot. OTOH bicentenial man was amazing but still hardly scratched the surface.
-
Random pick: The Diamond Age.
It'd be cool if someone did Engine Summer. That book is unreadable.
Ok, who wrote it and what's it about?
I always found Isaac Asimovs foundation and Robots series fascinating. Can you imagine my dissapointment at the movie I Robot. OTOH bicentenial man was amazing but still hardly scratched the surface.
Azimov books are classic but many have never read them. What makes them good to you?
-
Stephen King is about the only nonfiction i read. His mind is bizarre.
-
The Diamond Age or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. It is a bildungsroman focused on a young girl named Nell, and set in a world in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life. Some main motifs include: education, social class, ethnicity, and the nature of artificial intelligence. The Diamond Age was first published in 1995 by Bantam Books, as a Bantam Spectra hardcover edition. In 1996, it won the Hugo Award for Best Novel and was shortlisted for the Nebula and other awards, placing it among the most-honored works of science fiction in recent history.[1]
A six-hour miniseries scripted by Stephenson and produced by George Clooney is being developed for the Sci Fi Channel.[2][3][4]
Snow crash would probably be fun if someone who knows what he's doing would write, produce, and direct it.
Engine Summer (ISBN 0-385-12831-2) is a novel by John Crowley, published in 1979 by Doubleday. It was nominated for the 1980 American Book Award.
Synopsis
The novel tells the story of a young man named Rush that Speaks and of his wandering through a strange, post-apocalyptic world in pursuit of several seemingly incompatible goals.
The story is set in a post-technological future. Our own age is dimly remembered in story and legend, but without nostalgia or regret. The people of Rush's world are engaged in living their own lives in their own cultures. Words and artifacts from our own time survive into Rush's age, suggesting that it is only a few millennia in our future. Yet we are given hints that human society and even human biology are significantly changed. Even such basics as reproduction and eating have been altered, one by industrial-age genetic tampering, the other by contact with extraterrestrial life.
-
I'm partial to the Battletech-Mechwarrior series. No author or date to list, except 'various' and '1986 to present'.
-
Starship Troopers.......would you like to know more? :aok
The first movie was great, kept to the book plot line and all. Second 1 suxed, 3rd one was so/so.
I average a book a day and sci-fi, along with supernatural fantasy are my favorites.
I have a movie i've been waiting to watch, Underworld, rise of the lycans, saving it for a slow day/night.
I'd like to see Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" turned into a movie, but i suspect they'd ruin it. I mean look what they did to Andre Nortons "The beast master", no where near what the book was about. :cry
-
Well, since you started this thread--here's a little shameless self-promotion:
Book of Books is a Sci-Fi novel I wrote that was published as an E-Book a few weeks ago by AKW Books (no relation to me). It's set in the near future, and centers on a best-selling author whose stories have the odd habit of to prophesizing real events. Only he's not the author he seems to be, but rather, a mere pawn in a long-running conspiracy aimed at altering the fabric of society.
Our heroes, Elijah and Violet, must stop this writer before he can write the book that ends it all.
This is the first part of a trilogy that I will finish before I leave sci-fi behind and transition to the world of espionage.
Here's the link:
http://www.akwbooks.com/BookStore/product.php?productid=11
-
R.A. Salvatore
Any of the dark elf series with Drizzt Do'Urden. I have the entire collection plus some of the spin-off novels. The storytelling is superb. The detail with which he writes about the battles makes you fell like you are right there in them. Plus I am partial to fantasy novels anyway. :rock
-
Any of Iain M Banks stuff would work great on film :aok
-
Snow crash would probably be fun if someone who knows what he's doing would write, produce, and direct it.
Well that rules out SciFi Channel....
Becinhu,
I enjoy fantasy more as well, too, but the thread IS about SciFi.
That being said, gonna show the depths of my Geekiness:
Any of Timothy Zahn, Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston's Star Wars novels from the Bantam run:
Zahn's Thrawn Trilogy (Heir to the Empire, Dark Force Rising, The Last Command) can be directly credited with reviving Star Wars from nostalgia into the merchandising force (no pun intended) it is today. The success of the Thrawn Trilogy led directly to the development of X-Wing Space Combat Simulator, and it all snowballed from there. The Prequel Trilogy would have been a LOT better had Lucas hired Zahn to write it.
I LOVED the X-wing novels (Stackpole and Allston). It was great to focus more on original characters who you didn't know were going to survive, and LOVED seeing that the hellish difficulty of X-wing Tour of Duty 1, Mission 4 had such an impact that it made it into print as the "Redemption Scenario" in Rogue Squadron. :D Oh, and Allston's X-wing books were HILARIOUS. Yub-yub.
I, Jedi (Stackpole) was a great twist, with an almost film-noir aspect (especially the first-person perspective) that really set it apart from the rest of the series. Somehow it made it just FIT with the grittier look of the Original Trilogy.
I wish they'd just ended the post-Return of the Jedi continuity with the Hand of Thrawn series (Zahn). It was a perfect end to the Galactic Civil War, and FINALLY got Luke and Mara Jade together. Things took a DRASTIC downward turn once DelRey took over with NJO and later. I don't acknowledge anything after Vision of the Future. As far as I'm concerned Chewie and Mara are alive, and Jacen did NOT become a Sith Lord (never even read that series).
-
"A Barnstormer in Oz" by Phillip Jose Farmer. (of Riverworld fame)
Its set in the mythical land of Oz. (as in The Wizard of Oz)
Dorothys adult son, who is a pilot, flys his bi-plane into a mysterious green cloud only to be magically transported(plane and all) into Oz.
Alot of the characters from the original story are present.
This is not a kiddie story.
Violence etc.
Awesome book, but alas, I'm sure if it was made into a movie it would suk.
Highly recomended reading though.
While I realize its not "sci-fi", I thought some of you guys might enjoy it anyway.
-
City
Clifford Simak
I don't remember much except I liked it
Cold War era, something about people having been dispersed from cities so there would be no targets for ICBMs, also had talking dogs and robots.
-
Well that rules out SciFi Channel....
:lol You don't say.... They got Diamond Age, though. Who knows how that'll turn out. They've got the contract and Stephenson is working with Clooney for the TV-compatible rewrite.
-
Science fiction stories have many different sub types to choose from. I enjoy the hard core science novels that take place in the future of mankind where space travel is commonplace. As a kid, I read lots of books from the library and many titles escape the memory over the years. As time went by, it was much easier reading the Star Trek and Star Wars novels due to knowing the characters and the individual fictional universes of them.
Many of the stories I read were turned into films and the books were so much better. With the books makes the reader imagine what the author is writing about. Films come along and change the format.
Keep submitting the novels. Let's see how many can be brought to others notice. :aok
-
I remember a short story
Houston, Houston, do you read?
James Tiptree
Three astronauts somehow time warp into a future where men are extinct.
They get rescued by a ship crewed entirely of women.
One of the guys is saying stuff like "Hot Damn, I'll make em line up for my stiff steel, I'll have hot buttered boobies and strawberries and c**t for breakfast"
It doesn't work out so well for them in the end.
-
:lol You don't say.... They got Diamond Age, though. Who knows how that'll turn out. They've got the contract and Stephenson is working with Clooney for the TV-compatible rewrite.
SciFi has been on a downward spiral ever since they decided paranormal "reality" TV and god-awful ripoffs of movies that were god-awful to begin with (seriously, how many remakes and SEQUELS to remakes of Anaconda do we REALLY need?!) were a better programming decision than FarScape.
-
And GvsE, and Lexx...
-
And GvsE, and Lexx...
I-Man ruled.
-
the best Sci-fi book I have read was "Battlefield Earth" L Ron Hubbard.
horrible move.
besides,sword/sorcery/ Fantasy is way more to my liking.
"Wishsong of Shannara" by Terri Brooks would be an awesome move.
-
"Footfall" by Larry Niven.
I'm almost certain elements of this book were ripped off in the movies "Independence Day" AND "The Postman" though. :noid
-
I think A Gift From Earth by Larry Niven would make a really outstanding movie. Great plot, and doable to boot. I know Moot mentioned Snow Crash and the Diamond Age, both of which were really excellent also, and could make great movies.
I have always been a huge Phillip K Dick fan also, and have been horrified to see how badly his books and short stories have been butchered by Hollywood. With the exception of A Scanner Darkly, which was excellent and follow the book pretty well, and Blade Runner (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) which was slaughtered and flawed, but still an excellent movie, all of the movies made of his stuff has been pretty crappy and far from the ideas behind his works.
I think Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card would make as great a movie as it is a book also! It might be hard to get enough kids to pull off the level of acting that it would require though.
There are tons more, SciFi is some of the most creative storytelling going when it's at its best.
-
"Footfall" by Larry Niven.
I'm almost certain elements of this book were ripped off in the movies "Independence Day" AND "The Postman" though. :noid
Yeah, that was a good one too, I love Niven, he's one of the best going. Excellent short stories also in the known space universe too. Good call man!
-
I think Ender's is in the works. Yep
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game#Film
-
I think Ender's is in the works. Yep
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ender's_Game#Film
Sweet! I didn't know about that, thanks. I wonder if they're going to do Speaker for the Dead afterwards.
-
Given Hollywood's habit of making trilogies, it'd prolly have to bomb for them not to.
-
I have over 250 scifi books from the whole spectrum of authors. Weirdly my favourite series has always been L Ron Hubbards Mission Earth decology. Awesome read.
-
I'd like to see Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" turned into a movie, but i suspect they'd ruin it. I mean look what they did to Andre Nortons "The beast master", no where near what the book was about. :cry
I have 35 of Andre Nortons novels on my book shelf and 7 of Anne McCaffreys. And you are probably right that they would ruin any of them. With "The Beast Master" they took the name and left everything else. From an American Indian to blond white guy. From a space faring future to a medieval past. I didn't even know that it was supposed to be based on the book until I read about it later.
-
I guess Michael Crichton falls into this category--in particular, "Timeline" (http://www.michaelcrichton.net/books-timeline.html)---a new twist on time travel, one of the most riveting books I've read in a long time, movie paid poor homage to this book
-
The Bolo series of books by Keith Laumer
Tanks had just enough smarts to do perimeter guard duty autonomously. Over time their processing power grew as did their abilities. Over the course of a few hundred years they became Bolos and were deployed in many off world battles and are fiercely loyal to their regiments. The books tell the story from the humans viewpoint as well as the Bolos viewpoint as they are self aware. A good read.
-
Has anybody ever read the Harry Turtledove books on alternate timelines. They always looked good from the back covers but I've never read any of them.
-
Has anybody ever read the Harry Turtledove books on alternate timelines. They always looked good from the back covers but I've never read any of them.
I have the whole series, they're pretty good. Get weirder the farther he goes though.
-
I have the whole series, they're pretty good. Get weirder the farther he goes though.
Yeah, I read the whole damn thing was wasn't unhappy that it finally ended. After the first 2000 pages or so it became more of an addiction than a pleasure lol.
-Sik
-
I'll mirror the OP's method of posting :)
Night's Dawn Trilogy by Peter F. Hamilton.
Note: Night's Dawn is composed of 3 'core' books. The first 2 books in the trilogy were sold in 2 'parts' each. Those wanting to read it need be aware of this to avoid reading Part 1 of one novel and jumping to part 1 of the second novel and wondering wtf happened in between ;)
Novels in the Trilogy: Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God.
Novel 1: The Reality Dysfunction
The Reality Dysfunction Part 1: Emergence
The Reality Dysfunction Part 2: Expansion
Novel 2: The Neutronium Alchemist
The Neutronium Alchemist Part 1: Consolidation
The Neutronium Alchemist Part 2: Conflict
Novel 3: The Naked God
(this one is one novel that is as fat as 2 books on its own)
Synopsis:
In the year 2300+ humanity has split into two factions: The Adamists who use technology and the Edenists who use bio-technology (in the novel reffered to as 'Bitek'). The two factions are not at war but have become distant in what can be called a pseudo-religious schism. The Adamists consider it sinful to use living (sometimes sentient) things as a technological base whereas Edenists society sees the Adamists as cousins who will eventually come around. Both sides have great nobility and terrible dark sides within them and the novels explore many aspects of their societies.
Adamists live mainly on planets and asteroid colonies and Edenists live on Habitats (massive, small-planet sized organic, sentient beings that were designed and grown by Edenists as a home. Think of them as a living Babylon5-type station...just planetoid-sized). Edenists use living, sentient bitek starships called 'Voidhawks' whereas Adamists use regular metal-built vessels (though some adamists use bitek ships called Blackhawks). Adamists use nano-technology to enchance themselves (neural implants that turn their brains into computers which can send real-time voice messages to each other, synthetic muscles, boosted performance, etc) while edenists are all-natural and use bitek genetic engineering to give themselves Affinity (telepathy and the ability to share their minds with others, in essence edenists can become a hive mind when making decisions or dealing with a crisis).
Within the Adamists there are many independent nations but the great majority, including the Edenists, have joined together to form the Confederation.
The novels begin following the events of several characters, mainly of Joshua Calvert and how they go about their life and fortunes in this universe. The author does a great job in making the novel fluid and interesting on things as simple as a bussiness breakthrough or at what a teenaged girl does to get away from a life she finds dull .. and also follows the story a young psychotic criminal that got deported out of earth to another planet.
But all that changes when the Confederation faces an inconceivable threat: the dead are coming back and possessing the living. If that was not enough they also learn that the 2 other sentient spacefaring races they have encountered (and which are part of the Confederation as friends and observers) are not exactly what they appeared to be..and one of them has the potential to destroy humanity. If the returning dead don't beat them to it of course.
I give these novels an 8/10 . I wont spoil the ending but lets just say the WAY the trilogy closes is very dissapointing (not in the story but just how it was written really). Thats why it lost 2 points.
DUNE by Frank Herbert
I wont say any more. You have to read these. 10/10 . Too complicated to put a synopsis of it.
Dune
Children of Dune
Dune Messiah
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune
10/10 for each book.
You may also read the pre-quels and post-sequels written by the author's son after the Author's death. His writing style SUCKS and its criminal how he used his father's work to make money but still, its supposedly based on notes left by the father (and once you read the books listed above you will be able to tell right away which parts were and which weren't).
Personal note: One of the most touching things about these novels is that the author, Frank Herbert, based a big part of the novel on his wife's personality (Bene Gesserits & Jessica). After his wife died he wrote the plots and storylines to be used in the next dune novels, some of which he did not live to finish. Of these notes which were later used by his son, the very last sentence of the last book (written by his son) are said to be written directly by Frank Herbert and meant to be the closing tribute to his wife after she died.
-
Starship Troopers.......would you like to know more? :aok
The first movie was great, kept to the book plot line and all. Second 1 suxed, 3rd one was so/so.
You think it stuck to the plot line? There were vague elements of the plot of the book in there but the movies were all travesties.
There is something that will need to be remade. Properly.
"Footfall" by Larry Niven.
I'm almost certain elements of this book were ripped off in the movies "Independence Day" AND "The Postman" though. :noid
This was the first one I thought of and I agree with the "ripped off" stuff.
The Bolo series of books by Keith Laumer
Tanks had just enough smarts to do perimeter guard duty autonomously. Over time their processing power grew as did their abilities. Over the course of a few hundred years they became Bolos and were deployed in many off world battles and are fiercely loyal to their regiments. The books tell the story from the humans viewpoint as well as the Bolos viewpoint as they are self aware. A good read.
I've read one short story of this series and need to find more.
My entry would be David Drake's Ranks of Bronze and the short stories it was based from.
A captured Roman Legion is "sold" into slavery to an alien trading conglomerate. According to trading rules, a new planet cannot be conquered with superior technology. So, in order to force trading relationships with new, undeveloped worlds, the trading syndicate uses the Romans to fight their battles for them.
Also, Eric Flint's 1632 collection of books and stories.
A small West Virgina coal mining town finds itself transported back in time to Central Germany, Thuringia specifically, during the 100 Years War.
wrongway
-
You think it stuck to the plot line? There were vague elements of the plot of the book in there but the movies were all travesties.
There is something that will need to be remade. Properly.
I absolutely loved Starship Troopers, I lent it out to all my friends and made them read it, and they all loved it too. The best and most accurate review of the book came from a friend of mine. He handed it back to me and said "the only thing that book lacks is about a thousand more pages."
Heinlein was a great author.
-
As RTHOLMES allready posted, have to agree with Ian M Banks - would love to see "Excession" or "Consider Phlebas" on film. However the author has stated that he would not as he does not think film can do the works justice, but I think we're not far off.
There was an Asimov novel that captured my imagination as a child called "The ends of Eternity" - would love to see this on the big screen. More Asimov works: the whole "Caves of Steel" to "Foundation and Earth" maybe Jackson could take this on since he did Tolkein admirably.
-
Heinlien's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress".
Read it if you never have.
-
My entry would be David Drake's Ranks of Bronze and the short stories it was based from.
I read several of his Lt. Leary novels recently. Decent, space battles involving the physics of actually hurling objects at other ships is a breath of fresh air vs. all the "shields and phasers" stuff.
-
Julian May's Saga of the Pliocene Exiles would make a great series of movies:
Synopsis - in the near future, humanity is evolving and previously latent or hidden metaphysical powers like telepathy and telekinesis are becoming mainstream and accepted. As a result, mankind has been accepted into a galactic confederation of races who share similar powers and has entered a golden age. However, for some misfits, panacea just isn't for them and they take the option of utilizing a one way time warp discovered in France to travel back 6 million years to the Pliocene Epoch expecting to take up a simpler rustic lifestyle. Unfortunately, when they get there, they discover two warring alien humanoid races are already there and either want to kill them or enslave them. Part SF, part fantasy, all great.
Also, Iain M Banks Culture novels rock. The Player of Games may be my favourite SF novel ever. I'm too lazy to try and explain it.
-
Ubik by Philip K. Dick (1969) is something you want to read. I don't think this book will ever be turned into a movie - its plain impossible. My english sucks too much to provide you with synopsis but you'll find plenty in the net.
Recent brit incarnation of Dick is Jeff Noon - 'Vurt' (1993) is a real brain screwer and is definitely worth reading. As well as his other novels but Vurt hits hardest.
Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984) is a classic cyberpunk and a good book too - definitely worth reading. He also wrote lots of short stories but after hollywood massacred 'Johnny Mnemonic' you might be scared off from those. Here's one of my favourites, which I also think fits the context and behavior of some players in this game :) http://lib.ru/GIBSON/r_dogfight.txt (http://lib.ru/GIBSON/r_dogfight.txt)
Some other of my favourite SF books I remember right now: 'Make Room! Make Room!' by Harry Harrison (1966), 'Tactics of Mistake" by Gordon R. Dickson (1971), Larry Niven's books, and almost everything by Mike Resnick.
Nice thread :)
-
A great trilogy of books with the name of "Tripods" for the series as a whole is an excellent read. The first book is titled "The White Mountains". The second is "The City of Gold and Lead" and the third is "The Pool of Fire". Written by John Christopher in 1967 for the first two books and 1968 for the third book.
The story of The Tripods is post-apocalyptic. Humanity has been conquered and enslaved by "the tripods", unseen alien entities who travel about in gigantic three-legged walking machines (the unsophisticated humans believe the walking machines themselves to be their living overlords). Human society is largely pastoral, with few habitations larger than villages, and what little industry exists is conducted under the watchful presence of the tripods. Lifestyle is reminiscent of the Middle Ages, but artifacts from previous ages are still used, giving individuals and homes a rather anachronistic appearance.
Humans are controlled from the age of 14 by implants called "caps", which suppress curiosity and creativity and leave the recipient placid and docile, incapable of dissent. The caps cause them to adore the tripods as their saviours. Some people whose minds are crushed under the pressure of the cap's hypnotic power become vagrants who wander the countryside shouting nonsense.
I had originally read this as a cartoon strip in issues of Boy's Life when I was in the Cub Scouts. Then found them in the school library. In the climatic finale in the third book involves the human resistance using hot air balloons against the aliens.
-
You do know that Footfall was published in 1985 right (Grin)
Kevin
"Footfall" by Larry Niven.
I'm almost certain elements of this book were ripped off in the movies "Independence Day" AND "The Postman" though. :noid
-
The first thing to remember is that a novel is wayy to long to make into a movie. Mostly when hollywierd tries the end up with travesties like Dune better titled Highlites of Dune.
Better candidates would be novellas or even novelettes, the time frame is better suited to a film.
My personal candidate would be "By his bootstraps" by Heinlein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/By_His_Bootstraps)
BTW Wrongway I write for the Grantville Gazette
http://www.grantville gazette.com/ (http://www.grantville gazette.com/)
(one novella, nine articles, and seven more submissions pending scheduling/acceptance) We have an annual Minni con where we work out 1632 stuff.(Eric tells us what we are allowed to do....) This year it is in Tempe AZ over the 4th of July. The Gazette pays a nickle a word, come write with us.
Regards,
Kevin
-
I read several of his Lt. Leary novels recently. Decent, space battles involving the physics of actually hurling objects at other ships is a breath of fresh air vs. all the "shields and phasers" stuff.
Youd love the Batlletech/Mechwarrior space combat then. realistic physics, and weapons like GAUSS Rifles, autocannons, anti-ship missiles and of course the standard lasers and particle cannons.
No shields- armor.
-
A great trilogy of books with the name of "Tripods" for the series as a whole is an excellent read...
The BBC created a TV series based on the books in the 80's. The first two books were covered, but it got cancelled before they did the third book.
-
Can't talk about SciFi without the following two words...
Don't Panic.
-
Can't talk about SciFi without the following two words...
Don't Panic.
And if there was ever an argument for not trying to turn a great book in to a film, that would be it right there...
-
You do know that Footfall was published in 1985 right (Grin)
Kevin
That is why I said elements of the book were ripped off IN those movies. ;) I believe Randy Quaid's character in "Independence Day" rings of a guy from "Footfall" and the whole premise of "The Postman" is very reminiscent of certain events in that same book.
-
Princess of Mar's books... hot scantily clad chicks :D
(http://www.craice.com.br/Frazetta/Frazetta_A_princess_of_Mars.jpg)
-
For science fiction (not including fantasy). All of these in my opinion are masterfully written, fascinating works. I picked out ones that I think are best of the best and that also span a wide range of themes and styles.
Title: Dune
Author: Frank Herbert
Year Published: 1965
Aspects: Factions, conquest, political maneuvering, action, mysticism
Title: Starship Troopers
Author: Robert Heinlein
Year Published: 1959
Aspects: Excellent miliary SF by a SF luminary. (Also, for a timely AH connection, Heinlein served on the USS Lexington, which will be appearing in the upcoming Coral Sea scenario.)
Title: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Author: Douglas Adams
Year Published: 1979
Aspects: Hilarity
Title: Neuromancer
Author: William Gibson
Year Published: 1984
Aspects: Started the cyberpunk genre.
Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Year published: 1949
Aspects: What an overbearing, socialist government will get you.
Title: Valis (or Ubik)
Author: Philip K. Dick
Year published: 1980 -- Valis (1969 -- Ubik)
Aspects: All of Dick's stuff is heavily psychological and . . . well . . . unique. (Sort of how in fantasy there is only one H. P. Lovecraft.)
Title: Snow Crash
Author: Neal Stephenson
Year Published: 1992
Aspects: A very interesting blend of cyberpunk, real world action and conspiracy; and both humorous and serious.
Title: The Stars My Destination
Author: Alfred Bester
Year Published: 1956
Apsects: What makes this great is Bester's style and craft of writing, not really the plot or anything else.
-
Title: The Stars My Destination
Author: Alfred Bester
Year Published: 1956
Apsects: What makes this great is Bester's style and craft of writing, not really the plot or anything else.
That is one of my all time favorites.
Also exceptionally good are Stanislav Lem's books. Two that I liked in particular:
"The star diaries" - incredibly funny. The first chapter alone is worth the whole book.
"Solaris" - incredibly philosophical and depressing, but a true masterpiece (and DONT watch the movie).
Asimov's "End of eternity" is a must read.
-
Vulcan I'm pretty sure at least one Barsoom flick is being made. I doubt they'll do the red marsians costumes justice.. Unless it's being done by a crew like the one signed up for that Heavy Metal collection of shorts.
-
Vulcan I'm pretty sure at least one Barsoom flick is being made. I doubt they'll do the red marsians costumes justice.. Unless it's being done by a crew like the one signed up for that Heavy Metal collection of shorts.
Apparently the wolverine chick is in it.
-
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream- Harlan Ellison-late 60's Mostly a short story guy, Ellison's stories left a lasting impression on me.
Apocalyptic story, end of mankind, few people left, physically and mentally abused by a Supercomputer in the far future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ringworld, Integral Trees, Neutron Star, anything set in the Puppeteers universe. All by Niven-late 70's early 80's can't remember.
A whole group of novels,novellas, short stories set in a universe where space travel is everyday occurrence thanks to the technology of 2 headed cowardly aliens who manufacture transparent inertia-less drive space craft.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C. Clark.
A gigantic cylinder from outside the solar system arrives a near the speed of light, then slows down as it enters the solar system. Mankind sends a team of people to rendezvous and get a closer look, they gain access and discover a miniature self contained but weird world.
-
Anybody mention Samuel R. Delaney?
Decent stuff.
-
I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream- Harlan Ellison-late 60's Mostly a short story guy, Ellison's stories left a lasting impression on me.
Apocalyptic story, end of mankind, few people left, physically and mentally abused by a Supercomputer in the far future.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ringworld, Integral Trees, Neutron Star, anything set in the Puppeteers universe. All by Niven-late 70's early 80's can't remember.
A whole group of novels,novellas, short stories set in a universe where space travel is everyday occurrence thanks to the technology of 2 headed cowardly aliens who manufacture transparent inertia-less drive space craft.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Rendezvous with Rama. Arthur C. Clark.
A gigantic cylinder from outside the solar system arrives a near the speed of light, then slows down as it enters the solar system. Mankind sends a team of people to rendezvous and get a closer look, they gain access and discover a miniature self contained but weird world.
Good taste in books man!
You ever read that series of short stories books that Ellison put out, called Dangerous Visions? Lots of excellent short stories in there, I've always liked his work. Niven is one of the truly all time greats, and Clarke, well, he was just fantastic. He wrote one a bit later in life called The Songs of Distant Earth that was great, and of course, Childhood's end and 2001.
Anyone ever read the Valentine trilogy by Robert Silverberg? It was sort of scifi fantasy blend, and really great. Lord Valentine's Castle, Majipoor Chronicles and Valentine Pontifex, great books.
Fantastic thread, I've added a few books to my list from reading it, thanks everyone!
-
Starship Troopers was my first SciFi book, I have not stopped yet. I was surprised not to see any mention of J.R.R. Tolkien though.
Another author I have been following is Robert Jordan and his Wheel of Time series.
Robert Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land was great.
Frank Herbert and Dune, All outstanding
-
I was surprised not to see any mention of J.R.R. Tolkien though.
Because this is a thread about SciFi. As a fantasy fan I HATE being lumped in with SciFi and horror. While sometimes there's some overlap and blurring between them, (IE, the Star Wars films are more appropriately considered Sci-Fantasy, if not a fantasy OUTRIGHT) it's two ENTIRELY different genres and should be treated as such.
That said, Tolkien IS the definitive example of High Fantasy. Whether they like it or not, EVERY fantasy author at some point is going to draw comparisons to Tolkien, and will generally fall somewhere between just short to flat on their faces.
-
Because this is a thread about SciFi. As a fantasy fan I HATE being lumped in with SciFi and horror. While sometimes there's some overlap and blurring between them, (IE, the Star Wars films are more appropriately considered Sci-Fantasy, if not a fantasy OUTRIGHT) it's two ENTIRELY different genres and should be treated as such.
Star Wars is should be considered hardcore science fiction. The reasons why are simple.
1) Spaceflight capability with lightspeed velocity
2) Phased energy weapons (handheld blasters and turbo lasers)
3) Space Stations
4) Holographic communications
5) Artificial Intelligence (droids)
6) Multitude of various species
The debate of science fiction or fantasy rests on two essential Star Wars cannons.
1) The Force
2) Lightsabers
To quote Carl Sagan roughly, "Any advanced civilization utilizing technolgy in front of a lesser advanced civilization will appear 'magical' to the lesser advanced civilization"
That being said, lightsabers are a given due to the technology of focusing crystals and immensely powerful energy sources in a compact form. This technology is way beyond our capabilities right now.
The "Force" falls under a different category. Evolution. The human brain only employs roughly 10 to 15 percent of it's capability. This is much greater than humans say 50,000 years ago where brain usage was lower around 7 to 10 percent. As the human body evolves generation after another, the brain usage will increase. Who's to say where that usage will be? Telepathy, Telekinesis, Levitation, Pyrokinesis, Clairovoyance, and of course energy release through fingers.
Only now in the 21st century we can forsee the future of mankind coupled with tecnology and evolution. Two hundred years ago, modern man still living with supstitious beliefs created fear and paranoia over things he didn't understand. The average person back then was illiterate and had to soley believe what the leaders of the time said about life in general. Now, the average person is literate and can make thier own decisions on thier own.
To me, the fanatsy books filled with dragons and wizards are really another facet of science fiction due to the "magic" as nothing more than advanced science not understood by the majority.
I've spent 30 years reading books on the matter and this is the best explanation I can give between science fiction and fantasy. They are the same, just different outlooks.
-
The Force as evolution - No number of neurons will beat the laws of physics. It's fantasy.
-
Starship Troopers.......would you like to know more? :aok
The first movie was great, kept to the book plot line and all. Second 1 suxed, 3rd one was so/so.
I average a book a day and sci-fi, along with supernatural fantasy are my favorites.
I have a movie i've been waiting to watch, Underworld, rise of the lycans, saving it for a slow day/night.
I'd like to see Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonriders of Pern" turned into a movie, but i suspect they'd ruin it. I mean look what they did to Andre Nortons "The beast master", no where near what the book was about. :cry
Trying to figure out if you read the same Starship Trooper I did?????
Look more carefully?
I found myself thinking what the heck is with the uniforms.... and the attitudes displayed by tge troopers themselves.... even found myself wondering if they were trying to discredit Heinlein or what?
IMHO not even close to the book.
-
"Footfall" by Larry Niven.
I'm almost certain elements of this book were ripped off in the movies "Independence Day" AND "The Postman" though. :noid
Did Hammerfall come before of after Footfall?
-
Let's see here ...
Jerry Pournelle & S. M. Sterling the Falkenberg series is entertaining.
Jerry Pournelle and the War Worlds series same.
Ann McCaffrey has done lots of good stuff
H. Beam Piper .... Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen is a fair read. Also his Space Vikings was entertaining and not what you would expect from the title.
David Drake Yes
C. J Cherryh has some interesting stuff....
Heinlein YES!
L. Neil Smith has some interesting stories with a decidedly different slant.
Azimov, Clark, could go on and on and on :aok :aok :aok
-
Star Wars is should be considered hardcore science fiction. The reasons why are simple.
1) Spaceflight capability with lightspeed velocity
2) Phased energy weapons (handheld blasters and turbo lasers)
3) Space Stations
4) Holographic communications
5) Artificial Intelligence (droids)
6) Multitude of various species
The debate of science fiction or fantasy rests on two essential Star Wars cannons.
1) The Force
2) Lightsabers
To quote Carl Sagan roughly, "Any advanced civilization utilizing technolgy in front of a lesser advanced civilization will appear 'magical' to the lesser advanced civilization"
That being said, lightsabers are a given due to the technology of focusing crystals and immensely powerful energy sources in a compact form. This technology is way beyond our capabilities right now.
The "Force" falls under a different category. Evolution. The human brain only employs roughly 10 to 15 percent of it's capability. This is much greater than humans say 50,000 years ago where brain usage was lower around 7 to 10 percent. As the human body evolves generation after another, the brain usage will increase. Who's to say where that usage will be? Telepathy, Telekinesis, Levitation, Pyrokinesis, Clairovoyance, and of course energy release through fingers.
Only now in the 21st century we can forsee the future of mankind coupled with tecnology and evolution. Two hundred years ago, modern man still living with supstitious beliefs created fear and paranoia over things he didn't understand. The average person back then was illiterate and had to soley believe what the leaders of the time said about life in general. Now, the average person is literate and can make thier own decisions on thier own.
To me, the fanatsy books filled with dragons and wizards are really another facet of science fiction due to the "magic" as nothing more than advanced science not understood by the majority.
I've spent 30 years reading books on the matter and this is the best explanation I can give between science fiction and fantasy. They are the same, just different outlooks.
If you can take the "Science" out of the fiction and the story still makes sense, then it's NOT "Hardcore" Science Fiction. The presentation of Star Wars owes FAR more to fantasy than it does hard scifi. Star Trek, especially the technobabble plots of the week of the latter series, is far closer to being hard scifi than Star Wars will EVER be. It was only after secondary sources like the West End Games RPG's came out that you started to see this infused into the Star Wars franchise. The two Trilogies weren't concerned how their technology worked. It just WORKED. Science was practically immaterial to the narrative.
Also, the modern concept of fantasy has roots dating back far, FAR earlier than SciFi, and CERTAINLY before Carl Sagan. Gandalf traces his origins most closely to Odin's wanderer form, and even the Elves and Dwarves of Tolkien's mythology trace their origins to the Icelandic sagas and Germanic/Norse mythology (which itself is VERY ancient, tracing its own origins to well before the birth of Christ). People have been telling "faerie stories" that would be indistinguishable from modern fantasy since LONG before what we would recognize as SciFi. It's more correct to say that SciFi is a facet of FANTASY than the other way around.
-
1. "Dune" (all) Frank Herbert
2. "Nonstop" Brian Aldiss
3. "Limes Inferior" J. Zajdel
4. "Damnation Alley" Roger Zelazny
5. "Ender's Game" Orson Scott Card
-
OK I m really fan of science fiction novels so let me tell you about my own science fiction book that I finished six months ago. Its called “The last earth” and has to do mostly about time and transuniverse travel. Story in brief starts in a Greek Aegean island in 1994, where the protagonist of the story a guy named Achilles that does his time in the Army meets a girl that she wants something from him concerning a top secret document. Girl gets killed by the bud guys. In the next Ch. story goes to 211 BC in Bactria (Afghanistan) where two monks of a secret religion called Asirtanism, search a papyrus that has a map of the true position of Alexander the Great Tomb. In the next Ch. time is present where Achilles is hunted by the bud people –a secret cult- called the transitionists but in the last time he get saved by the same girl who thought she was dead. Next Ch. is in Athens on December 1941, 3 days before Germany declares war in USA, where Achilles is told by the same girl who is with him and has the time machine, that he has to travel to Alexandria in Egypt with a fake identity as Frank Zavakos.
(Zavakos was in fact a real person. Greek American that served in 71st Eagle SQ and KIA in 1942 over the channel. He was flying a spitfire Mk V).
After Alexandria Achilles with another fake identity as a cooperator of Axis forces and the code name Swordfish is embark in an Italian submarine “Dagabur” trying to reach Gibraltar. But the submarine is sunk by an allied destroyer during the operation Pedestal, and the only survivor is Achilles. Allied ships take him to Malta as a prisoner of war. In Malta he explains that he was prisoner of the Italians and his name is Zavakos and he is pilot in the Eagle Squadrons. English authorities believe him and he joins RAF to fly Spitfire Mk V. After Malta he moves to Habaniya an RAF base in Iraq and then he transfer to 74 sq which that time was stationed in Tehran Persia. His mission, as the mysterious girl –practically orders him to do- is to intercept with his Hurricane Mk I three FW condors that they are about to take off from Stalino, a Luftwaffe base near Stalingrad. The Condors takes off just before the collapse of the Paulus six Army that followed the big offensive “Uranus” of the Red Army. They make a long and dangerous journey from Stalingrad through Caspian Sea to Persepolis the ancient capital in the hurt of Persia. The passengers inside Condors are some German party members and some Transionists time travelers that they search for the same thing. Alexander's Tomb. Eventually they discover the lost Tomb but the Tomb is inside a really huge tholos (dome) witch in turn is a gigantic travel -from other dimensions- machine that can transfer thousands of people from one universe to another. The invasion of Transionists is imminent
Hope you will not laugh with the story. It is not quite a brief better is a synopsis brief cause they are many more things that I did not say, cause in order to do that I might need the whole page here. I already make a contact with a publishing company here in Athens but they told me that they are not interested or interesting (I've always got confused which is right). Of course the book is written in Greek but soon as finish my rewriting the purpose is to give it for translation in English. I know that is not a pure science fiction, but point is that I describe exactly my theory about time traveling, and is just the first part because there is a second part also.
Point is that I want to ask if someone knows how I can be in touch with a publishing company or an agent abroad so that I can send a copy to evaluate. Do you know any site that can ask?
-
IMHO not even close to the book.
Ohhh I dunno, had the same title, planet names, and character names :D
-
Back in the 70's early 80's I picked up a set of 4 text books titled "The Road to Science Fiction" volumes 1 through 4.
They contained a amazing number, 100 more or less, and varieties of SF short stories from ancient to modern authors.
If you like SF and ever run across any of them they are worth the money.
I'll Never forget "The Cold Equations", by Tom Godwin or "The Machine Stops" by E.M. Forster.
-
Star Wars is should be considered hardcore science fiction.
Absolutely not.
Star wars has all the elements of a classic medieval fantasy, taken to outer space. You have knights, warrior monks and damsels in distress, an emperor, sword fights and monsters to be slain (rankors etc.). And the final an ultimate fingerprint of classic fantasy - good vs. evil. Not just any evil, but an ultimate evil just for the purpose of villainy.
The difference between fantasy and SF is the way they create and treat the world: SF sets the new rules in the beginning of the story, usually as few as possible, and sticks to them throughout the story. Fantasy always reserve the liberty to come out with new rule breaking in mid story - suddenly an invisibility cloak is found, even though the physical possibility of invisibility was never mentioned before and allows the hero to overcome an impossible situation. Normally SF will not alter human behavior. It will assume your regular human nature in a different reality - the whole idea is to have a sort of a thought experiment that will tell you something about human nature or your own world. This is why it is extremely rare to find absolutes like good and evil in SF, as in real life.
-
I disagree on Fantasy worlds being "rule breaking." Tolkien once said that the world needs to be true to itself, so the "rules" still have to be spelled out and adhered to.
The difference is that SciFi is ABOUT the technology. Fantasy CAN have technology in it, so the presence of technology in of itself does NOT form a distinction between the two. Even though destroying the Death Star formed a plot point in the first and third movies, it was still not about the technology. The Death Star could have easily been a dragon.
-
SF isn't about tech. See Stephenson.
-
"Fantasy is the impossible made probable. Science Fiction is the improbable made possible." Rod Serling :)
-
'Lucifer's Hammer' by Niven .. would be the definitive movie of what a comet would do even if it just passed close to us.
Great characters, pre-impact, impact, and the aftermath .. just one of those books you start reading an next thing yanno the sun is comin up.
Yes.. I heartily hope that someone does Starship Troopers 'by the book' .. Powered armor is almost here IRL for our troops for cryin out loud.
'Berzerker' novels .. excellent movie material, huge war machines the size of Death Stars that are self aware and programmed to exterminate humans ..just that ..well .. they were created eons ago and there arent many left, they are 'legends' .. no one beleives they exist .. er .. until one finds you :)
Any of the David Drake future tank series of novels .. great reads. He was in that tank division that went to 'Nam, he knows the 'tracks' and what they are about :)
The Ship Who Sang .. Anne Mcaffrey ..excellent movie material.. the ulitimate prosthesis, a starship instead of an organic body.
So many others .. would love to see the guys that did the Ring Trilogy do the Dragon Riders of Pern.. they could do it right.
-GE
-
I disagree on Fantasy worlds being "rule breaking." Tolkien once said that the world needs to be true to itself, so the "rules" still have to be spelled out and adhered to.
Perhaps this is why lord of the rings and the hobbit are the only fantasy books I was able to finish reading. Not a lot of flashing magic there either.
Science fiction is not about the technology - at least not the good SF. It is about humans and our own society. Asimov's nightfall is a good example. The only difference between that world and ours is that it has 6 suns. No different technology what so ever. The story is about the relationship between science religion and the public media. There are many other examples where the technology is only a mean to test human behavior. It is almost never what the story is really about. Again, I emphasize that this is regarding good SF and not the ton of garbage that is out there. Niven, Asimov, Ellison, Clark, Lem, Dick, Bester etc. Even Douglas Adams which is not really SF is about our lives on planet earth more than anything else.